Legacy of the Forerunners
by roguespartan058
Summary: The Covenants invasion of Earth has finally begun. Ancient truths long forgotten have been brought to light. Humanity's last hope finds the end to the bloodiest war in human history.
1. prologue: Ancient Truths

Prologue

Tartarus' hammer crushed the elite's chest as if the thick armor was made of tin foil. Tartarus brought the giant weapon up around his head and let it fall crushing the skull of an elite sneaking behind. He pulled his hammer from the ground and swung it like a club sending another elite sailing through the air.  
The Arbiter watched, angered with each failed attempt to kill the brute leader. He loaded his carbine and jumped down into the ensuing battle below. He unloaded the fresh clip into the back of the hulking beast's head, the rounds merely gaining the brute's attention as they bounced of the shields emanating from the hammer.  
Tartarus turned, glaring down at the Arbiter.  
"You insolent little worm. The Prophets should have killed you," he said turning and starting towards the Arbiter, "I will enjoy watching you die," he said grabbing the Arbiter by throat and lifting him to eye level.  
Suddenly out of nowhere, three particle beam shots hit Tartarus in the face, killing his shields and knocking the Arbiter from his grasp.  
"Hey, ugly, how'd that taste?" The human yelled from the platform above. The Arbiter grabbed his fallen and empty carbine by the barrel and brought the butt of it over the unshielded brute's head, shattering the weapon to pieces.  
"Is that all," Tartarus laughed getting up from his knee, the shield flickering back into existence. The brute sent his hammer flying, sending the Arbiter into the air and then into a wall.  
Arbiter looked up in a daze as the huge beast came walking forward, laughing. Tartarus bent down to pick the dazed elite back up and finish the job, when three more shots rang out, killing his shielding once again. He looked up to see the human once again but this time smiling and waving down to him.  
The Arbiter, still in a daze, found a human weapon immediately to his right. Seeing his chance, he pulled the weapon to himself and pumped it as he saw hundreds of humans do before. He stood up shoved the barrel of the weapon into the brute's muscular stomach. Tartarus, realizing what was happening, looked back at his foe in shock.  
"For all my brothers blood you have spilled," the Arbiter said with malice as he pulled the trigger. The weapon erupted and spewed forth fire and shrapnel into the living wall of pure muscle that was the brute's torso. The weapon shredded the skin, penetrated the muscular armor, and attacked what ever vital organ lay between the barrel and the beasts back. Tartarus stood for a moment before finally falling backwards, his huge bulk making the floor tremble beneath the Arbiter's feet.  
"Good-bye Tartarus," the Arbiter said turning to see the female human remove the Icon from its cradle. The station trembled for a moment and returned to normal. Seven holograms of the other ring worlds appeared, hovering where the Icon sat prior. The other human, clinging to the Oracle, floated down to meet the female.  
"What is it?" the female human asked as the Oracle let the other drop off.  
"A beacon," the Oracle replied hovering a foot over the humans heads.  
"What is it doing?" the female asked, entranced with the rings hovering peacefully. 'It's hard to believe anything so beautiful could be so destructive,' she thought to her self.  
"Communicating at super luminal speeds with a frequency of…." the Oracle replied amused at the human's apparent admiration of the stations.  
"Communicating with what?" the female asked firmly trying to resist pulling the insane light bulb apart piece by piece.  
"The other installations," the Oracle replied, confused as to why the humans would ask such an obvious question.  
"Show me," the female demanded, calming down now that the machine was starting to give her answers.  
"Failsafe protocol, in the event of an unexpected shut down the entire system will move to stand by status. All remaining installations are now ready for remote activation," he responded pondering why the humans of all creatures would not know the protocol.  
"Remote activation, from here?" the female asked confused.  
"Don't be ridiculous," the Oracle cackled from above.  
"Listen tinker bell, don't make me…." the other human began as the female rested a hand upon his shoulder, implying to calm down.  
"Then where? Where would someone go to activate the other rings?" the female asked calmly.  
"Why, the Ark of course," the Oracle replied, finally realizing why the humans seemed so puzzled, why the Reclaimer resisted activating installation 04. It all made sense now.  
"And where, Oracle, is that?" The Arbiter asked limping behind the humans


	2. Ch1: Assasin in the Dark

1.

High Earth Orbit/ Unknown Forerunner ship/ mission time clock 52:35:21

"Mind telling me what you're doing on that ship," Lord Hood asked, seeming a little puzzled.  
"Sir, finishing this fight," John said checking his surroundings and picking up his Battle Rifle from the floor.  
"Alright Chief, Good Hunting. Hood out," he said closing the com channel.  
John checked the magazine. "Damn," he said to himself as he tossed the empty weapon to the floor. He had always hated fighting in space, preferring the ground beneath his feet and fresh air in his lungs rather than recycled air and 10 inches of titanium separating him from the void of space. The cold firm ground was the battlefield, not the deck of a starship. The battlefield was home, and nothing can ever change that. It has been his home since he started his training on the planet Reach. The starship made him feel vulnerable, which wasn't right for a Spartan. But now, without a weapon, for the first time he just wanted to get his job over with.  
John just stood a while listening to the hum of the engines and the dull thuds of explosions as the battle for Earth had finally begun. He quietly walked to a door submerged in the black sea of shadow of the room. He couldn't understand but for some reason he just knew which way to go. The whole place seemed eerily familiar but he knew he could have never been inside any Forerunner ship, so why was he feeling this way? The human instinct of something long forgotten but oddly familiar? The door slid open with little more than a hiss, revealing a long, dark corridor, perfectly symmetrical. He looked to the floor and saw a blue light race along the floor of the corridor followed by another a second after.  
He cautiously stepped into the room, not wanting to disturb anything that might be concealed in the shadows. The blue lights suddenly stopped and grew brighter, flooding the corridor with a soft blue glow. The walls glowed silver in the blue light and there seemed to be carvings in the wall. The Chief stopped and looked at hieroglyphics that ran along the corridor. None of them seemed to make any sense, but the strange feeling of familiarity surfaced once again. He followed the glyphs down the corridor and stopped noticing three that he could somewhat make out, one looked, oddly enough, like a human, another was an infection form, and the final one was a ring, obviously Halo.  
Suddenly a sound echoed from down the hall and broke him from his trance. Being unarmed he looked for a hiding place, a nook, cranny, or shadow in a corner, but found nothing in the lit and symmetric corridor. He ran to were the corridor intersected another and peered around the corner only to meet a Jackal face to face. The Jackal froze dead in his tracks staring dumbstruck at his own reflection in the Chiefs helmet, while John's fist instinctively clenched and flew crushing the Jackal's skull before it was able to move.  
The Chief watched the corpse hit the ground and looked up only to find two more Jackals open their shields and charge their pistols. John grabbed the pistol from the dead Jackal and dove around the corner just as the two started to fire. The firing lulled for a split second. 'Bad mistake,' John thought to himself as he overcharged his plasma pistol, hitting one of the Jackals with the blast and then running out and beating the other with the overheated weapon. John checked further down the corridor making sure there wasn't another threat, not that there wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He ransacked the corpses only finding three plasma pistols and 2 plasma grenades. He pocketed it all, figuring it was better than nothing, and continued down the corridor the Jackals came from. The blue light dying behind him and the blue pulses on the floor leading him on.  
He came to a stop at a humongous window over viewing the carnage that lay beyond. Dozens of Covenant capital ships were heading straight to Earth, unleashing plasma bolts at the MAC guns and starships that were the last defense of the human home world. The MAC guns, wonders in their own element, alternated firing and reloading between them keeping the Covenant under a constant barrage of shells. A capital ship came into view from his left side. John watched the shields flicker and die as the colossal vessel took a MAC shell to the aft section. Two longsword fighters appeared above him and dumped a salvo of bombs onto the wounded ship's bridge. And as if a hornet's nest had been kicked, hundreds of seraph fighters left the ship's hangars and followed the two fighters relentlessly and then join in the battle. Spots of blue and orange dotted the battlefield where covenant and human alike met their grave in the black void. John left the window and followed the lights on the floor once again.  
The Chief ended up at another door, which didn't open no matter how close he got. He knelt down and set his ear to the door listening to the conversation within, obviously the High Prophet encouraging his troops to 'cleanse the desecrated world', and the heavy shuffle of the Honor Guard. 'Too easy,' he thought to himself, 'a ship loaded with a prophet and only a few Jackals guarding the halls. Someth-. 'A brief scraping like finger nails on a black board came from behind. He stood up and turned quickly, the pistols on his belt banging against the door, but saw nothing behind in the dark. The air in the corridor suddenly grew old, musty, and smelt of decay. He turned back to the door trying to listen, but the voices died.  
"Oh crap," he said looking down at the plasma pistols attached to his belt. He stood to run back down the corridor when the door hissed open and flooded the hall with a bright light revealing three Honor Guard Brutes loaded with Brute plasma rifles. John turned to run back down the corridor, but found himself trapped between the Brutes and a torrent of Flood forms.

The Brutes opened fire, their weapons spewing forth red plasma at a ferocious rate. The Chief acted instantly, ducking the first wave of plasma letting the Flood behind him take it. He got up of the floor and ran straight towards the Guards, throwing his shoulder into the one in the middle. He would have sooner jump into a solid brick wall than do those again. There was a snap and a sharp pain shot through the Chiefs arm. He looked down at the brute for a second watching the blue crystalline gel slowly slide down the unconscious beasts side while the others stood dumbstruck, surprised that anyone, even the demon, would dare take on a fully armored brute hand to hand. The Chief ran past the other brutes into the bridge of the ship, the brutes to occupied with the flood to care of the demon, but were soon overwhelmed.  
John ran to the center of the bridge, surrounded by holograms that had to be the ships controls. He tried to move his right arm to the small armaments he had on his side, but found it impossible to move his heavy arm. The brutes lay in the doorway surrounded by infection forms digging into their chests. He pulled one of the grenades attached to his belt and armed it, the blue plasma giving it a tail as he lobbed it into the hall he just came through. The door way lit in a bright flash of blue as the grenade detonated and sent bits of flood forms into the room.  
The door closed and John was alone in the bridge. He looked out the front window watching Earth grew closer. He was heading back to Africa, back to Mombassa. 'What's with the fascination of this place? They've already leveled most of the city when the cruiser jumped.' he thought to himself. The ruins of the city were surrounded by three covenant cruiser, their massive size easy to tell even from his distance away.  
John turned suddenly to faint sound, the gel from his shoulder slung onto the panels in front of him. He had one of his pistols at the ready in the only arm he had movement in. He moved around what he guessed was the captains console. The faint sound came again and he looked underneath the console only to find a grunt cowering in the small gap between the holograms and the floor.  
"Hello little guy. I'm going to ask you questions and you're going to answer," he said as the grunt, fearing for his life, was pulled from underneath the console by his mask. He shivered in terror as the Chief tossed him into the "captain's chair", the size of the chair making the grunt seem smaller than he really was.  
"Truth is here, correct?" John asked rhetorically, making sure the little thing wasn't going to lie. The grunt only nodded his head as a reply.  
"Which way did he go?" John asked, staring at the terrified creature in the huge chair. He couldn't help but feel pity for him.  
"He go that way to part of ship," the grunt said pointing a trembling hand to a door that was hidden in a corner to their right, "He go start Great Journey from filthy planet," he added showing a hint of regret from the last bit of his statement.  
The ship began to tremble beneath John's feet as the ancient ship finally began reentry, the long triangular tip starting to burn a bright white as it entered the atmosphere. A banging suddenly coming from the door he had entered only a moment ago. John looked down at the grunt, when it jumped with the first pound. He knew what was going to happen just as much as John knew when the door finally gave in to its beating.  
"Your coming with me," John said grabbing the grunt by his methane tanks with his good arm and started running for the door earlier pointed out to him, as the door finally giving way to the harsh beating. He ran through the door earlier mentioned and quickly shut it using a panel on his side of the door, an Infection form getting caught between the door and the floor as it closed. John dropped the grunt to the floor, pulled out his pistol and fried the panel, giving him a little time to make his way down the hall. The grunt stood staring at him, surprised that the demon showed him mercy.  
"You help me out," the grunt said with his heavy accent," Come. His Holiness finds Great Journey but elites say he lies. Follow, I show way to his Holiness," the grunt said motioning his arm forward into another shadow blanketed hallway.  
John watched confused as the grunt vanished into the dark. He stood a second and followed the creature further into the darkness.1.


	3. Ch2: Uneasy Alliance

2. 

orbit of holy ring/ rendezvous with Elite capital ship Sheltering Innocence/ first age of reformation

The Arbiter sat pondering what to do about the three humans who sat opposite of him, talking amidst the hum of the phantom's engines. 'Why would the Prophets lie of something of this magnitude?' he thought to himself, 'If the Oracle spoke truth, than why have we slaughtered so many?'  
"Makes you wonder where all there strength comes from, doesn't it Arbiter?" the spec-ops commander, Wasampalee said walking from the cockpit, his speech perfect despite half his jaw was missing.  
"They have much to fight for, much to die for. The female there seems to be a decorated warrior," he replied pointing to Miranda who still held the Index in her hands.  
"So it seems," Wasampalee replied standing next to where the Arbiter sat.  
"What should be done with them?" Arbiter asked looking at his commander.  
"You are the Arbiter, It is for you to decide," he replied standing up. "But do not forget the atrocities dealt to their kind. They may never be forgiven," he added before heading back into the cockpit.  
The Arbiter watched the humans as the continued to talk between themselves. 'Such ugly creatures,' he thought to himself as he stood up and walked their way. Miranda, Johnson, and Corporal Adams, ceased talking and watched the giant elite come forward. There was a long, awkward silence as man and elite stared upon each other.  
"You are great warriors," Arbiter said breaking the uncomfortable silence," and have restored honor to my fallen brethren. I thank you."  
Miranda stood up, only as tall as the Elites neck, "It was our pleasure," she said holding out her hand for a hand shake. The Arbiter looked down at her, locked eye to eye.  
"We shall return you to your people," he said turning around and starting to walk away. Miranda couldn't help but feel insulted with the neglect of a chance for peace. She sat back down and watched the Arbiter walk into the cockpit.  
The Arbiter entered noticing Guilty Spark face to face with Wasampalee, both flustered as they continued to argue, not noticing the Arbiters presence.  
"Why do you always speak in riddles Oracle?" Wasampalee said wishing to tear the light bulb apart with his bare hands.  
"Why do you insist upon using inaccurate nomenclature?" Guilty Spark shot back.  
"Don't make me turn this phantom around," the pilot said annoyed with ensuing argument behind him as he tried to concentrate on entering the cruisers hangar bay.  
"Arbiter," Wasampalee said turning to the Arbiter as he walked into the cockpit, "The Oracle tells lies of these humans we have among us," he said still angered at Guilty Spark as he continued to hum and float around the room, apparently no longer bothered by the elite.  
"Do not worry commander, all will be explained in time," the Arbiter said as the phantom finally docked with the capital ship, "For now we must think of the task ahead of us," he added as the docking ramp opened down to the floor of the cruiser. "Come we have much to do in little time," Arbiter said as they left the cockpit for the back of the phantom where the ramp was located where they were met by hundreds of elites. The Arbiter watched as two elites, still wearing the armor of the Honor Guard came to escort him through the army of elites that stood in the hangar. The Arbiter stepped out of the phantom and was met with the sound of clapping and cheering. He looked up seeing the floors above him crowded wtih the grunts as they continued to cheer and chant his name as he stood and watched the rebels. His army. Arbiter turned to Wasampalee as he watched smiling, "Assemble a strike team. Only honored warriors, those who have battled the Flood before, and only volunteers," he said, his face serious amongst the celebration, "I do not want to send anyone back who does not wish to go."  
"The Flood are a fearsome foe. I do not know anyone here who would decline the chance for this battle," Wasampalee replied turning to head to the bridge to assemble the strike teams.  
"Wasampalee, use haste. We can not leave our brothers to suffer such a horrid fate," the Arbiter said as he watched High Charity through the force fields over the hangar doors.


	4. Ch3: The Fallen Comrade

3.  
New York City/ North American Protectorate/ Mission clock 03:19:52

Two acknowledgement lights winked on Fred's HUD as the in front of him melted away under the intense heat of the scarabs main cannon, sending him to the ground. 'This isn't working' he thought as he picked himself from the ground, retrieving his fallen battle rifle. He looked out the newly formed window, the steel continuing to glow bright red as it cooled.  
Three squads of marines, Fred, Will, and Linda held an ambush for a Covenant assault on the North American UNSC HQ based in New York. Everything went smoothly as planned, Will and one squad of marines were stationed in a structure on one side of the street, Fred and another in the building opposite, and Linda and a few other snipers were stationed on a bridge spanning between the two buildings. As soon as they opened fire, the battle quickly grew out of hand. They expected a lot, 10-15 wraiths, banshee cover, and a legion of Brutes, Jackals, and Drones, but two scarabs along with everything else was a tiny bit more than expected.  
Fred finally saw his opportunity as one of the lumbering giants strayed a little to close to his building. "Now!" he shouted through his com channel. The lights winked once again as two rockets raced through the air and detonated on the deck of the first scarab, sending several jackals sailing through the air. Three brutes ran from the cockpit to the deck as Fred and several marines jumped from their positions and onto the deck as three simultaneous shots rang out from the bridge, causing each of the brute's heads to explode as the bullet traveled through. The scarab stopped dead in its tracks and adjusted fire at the causeway. Linda realizing what was about to happen got up from her prone position and started towards Will's building to her right. The two snipers also seeing the threat were close on Linda's heels, despite her having the advantage of being a Spartan. The scarab opened fire, its cannon cutting through the bridge like a hot knife through butter, completely turning the steel structure into a hulk of molten metal. Two more rockets raced through the air and detonated on the second scarab's deck, killing several brutes on impact, the signal for the marines to board the hulking beast. Fred pulled the pins from two frag grenades and threw one down each side of the corridor in front of him. Two Jackals' came running around the corner, using their handheld shields to protect their birdlike heads, and were met with the bullets from Fred and the other marine's battle rifles. They fell where they stood as the grenades detonated, killing what ever creatures were left inside. Fred walked down the ramp into the cockpit and peeked around the corner, finding nothing. He turned the corner rifle at the ready, the deafing sounds of the ensuing battle outside amazingly dulled inside the belly of the beast. Only the hum of machinery and dull thuds of explosions could be heard. Surprisingly the cockpit was empty, besides the bodies of four other jackals lying in the middle of the room. Fred heard a loud clank and was met with a Brute standing behind, he squeezed, the trigger aiming for the brutes face. The bullets merely ricocheted off a shield that glowed for a second and then returned to normal. The brute was on him in two strides, grabbing him by the neck, the seals on the new MarkVI suit breaking under the strain of the brutes grip. "Another demon. Your part in this war has ended," the brute said grinning as he squeezed harder. Fred, for the first time in his life, felt helpless, not being able to have the ability to fight back, to fight for his life. He felt the rage building up inside him, his hatred of the Covenant, of the ONI scientists who turned him into a monster, the loss of his brothers and sisters he grew up with, and of the war that held no purpose. Fred tightened his grip over the brute's hands and began to pull the massive creature's hands from his neck. More seals in his arms ruptured and the crystalline gel leaked to the floor of the scarab. The brute watched horrified at how one of the demons could overpower a brute's strength. 'They truly are not of this world,' the brute thought to himself as he dropped the Spartan to the ground and ran for the deck, knocking down the marines that stood mouths a gape at the Spartan that lay unconscious on the floor in front.

Linda picked off another brute that tried to enter the empty wraith that sat in the middle of the street. Another brute dropped midstride, then another, and another, the only lull in fire when she had to reload. She watched as Will fired to rockets onto the deck of the second scarab, giving more jackals the ability to fly. Several marines jumped on board and mopped up, while Fred fragged and entered the first scarab.  
Will dropped the empty rocket launcher and grabbed his battle rifle. 'Things are finally looking up' he thought to himself as two marines carrying canisters of ammo for the turrets ran by. He loaded his battle rifle and started picking off the drones that fluttered about, attacking the marines with their tiny arsenals.   
Linda continued picking off the seemingly endless tide of brutes.   
"I need more ammo," she shouted to the ammo runners rushing off empty canisters. She saw the marines jump from the scarab back to the hotel, as the second scarab exploded a moment later. Then something caught her eye. A brute came running out of the cockpit and then over the edge of the first scarab, falling to his death.  
"That was odd," she said to herself as one of the runners came back carrying sniper clips and dumping them next to her. She reloaded her rifle, tossing the empty clip behind with the others and looked back into to the scope only to see two marines holding Fred's limp body between them.  
"Fred!" she screamed as she threw her rifle to the ground and ran as fast as she could down the hall.  
Will watched the drones fall from the sky as the rounds met their skinny bodies. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Linda barreling down on him.  
"What's the matter," he asked, curious as to why she didn't have her beloved rifle.  
"Fred's down," she replied not breaking pace. Will instinctively dropped his rifle and followed suit. They both jumped down onto the scarab and grabbed Fred from the marines.  
"He's only unconscious sir," one of the marines said backing off, watching the Spartans care for their wounded comrade.  
"It was unbelievable," the other marine started, still in awe of the Spartan, "he just pulled his hands away, and things started popping, such strength," he added. Linda removed Fred's helmet to reveal a pale face stained by a bloody nose and a huge bruise around his neck, where the brute's hands once were.  
"We'll take him from here. You two kill this scarab," Will said lifting Fred from the floor.  
The scarab exploded as Will and Linda carried Fred down the battle scarred hall, past the marines, cheering as the Covenant fled, to a make shift infirmary down the hall.  
"Don't worry," Will said reassuring his comrade, "He'll be fine."  
"I know," she replied as they continued down the hall.


	5. Ch4: Slipped Through the Fingers

4.   
Forerunner ship/ Atmospheric reentry over West African Protectorate/ mission clock 52:53:04

John followed the creature that waddled in front of him. The grunt continued to chatter to himself, just rambling about how much he missed home and wished he was back. John knew how he felt, broken arm, no serious threat armament wise, and stuck on an unfamiliar ship ancient ship loaded with a Covenant hierarch, his honor guard, and the Flood. Since Cortana stayed on High Charity, things didn't feel right. There was a void, a hole, and now that he had to put his trust in the enemy, things just weren't going right for him.  
"We here now," the grunt said suddenly stopping at a door in front of him.  
"Me no go in," he added, now looking at the ground ashamed, "They call me traitor. Me be executed when you die," he said regretting that he suggested that the demon couldn't finish what he started.  
"Thanks for the help," John said, patting the grunt on the back as he started to the door. The ship trembled as its center of gravity shifted, letting everyone onboard know they were within the atmosphere.  
"Here goes nothing," John said to himself as he got ready to storm in guns ablaze.  
"You still go in?" the grunt asked, "You very crazy. Give me gun," He added holding his little hand out for a gun. John looked at the grunt confused once again. The grunt seemed to stand five feet taller as he stood staring back into the Spartan's face.  
"I change my mind," the grunt said still staring into John's visor, "You stop before Holiness before he kills all?" he added still staring.  
"Yes," John said looking down at the grunt, grabbing two pistols from his belt and giving them to the grunt.  
"Me still think your crazy," the grunt said overcharging his two pistols, "Me Kasap by the way,"  
"Lets go," John said charging his pistol and opening the door.  
The Chief and Kasap were met by three honor guard as soon as the door opened. They both unleashed the pistols onto the brute's faces, the superheated, overcharged plasma melting away their faces. John grabbed one of the fallen brute plasma rifles that dropped to the floor, and then hid behind a crate in the middle of the room as the rest of the brutes opened fire. A phantom sat docked in the middle of the cluttered hangar. John looked over the crate once the firing stopped and saw his prize. The High Prophet of Truth, surrounded by several Honor Guards, was being loaded onto the phantom. John looked over and saw Kasap who, strangely for a grunt, was firing over the crates instead of cowering behind it. The Honor Guard opened fire on the grunt just as he ducked back behind the massive crate. John noticed his chance while the brutes fired upon his little accomplice. All in one motion. He dropped his plasma rifle, pulled a grenade from his belt, armed it, and lobbed it onto the brute in the middle of the group. The grenade attached to the brutes armor and then detonated, sending the group flying in separate directions. John grabbed the plasma rifle and started for the phantom. The loading ramp closed just as the Chief reached the ship. The engines roared to life and John jumped grabbing onto the underside of the phantom as it rose from the metallic floor and exited through the open hangar doors. John watched Kasap run from his hiding place and stare up at him as the phantom raced away from the ancient forerunner ship that still glided through the sky over southern Africa. Two seraph fighters came from the opposite direction and unleashed their plasma torpedoes on the ancient ship, which erupted into giant ball of flame. John tried to pull himself closer to the hull of the ship, holding on for dear life as the two seraph fighters provided escort for the phantom. The phantom suddenly took a hard right turn. John felt his grip slip and then the rush of air as he fell to meet the ground of the African plain. There was a great pain through out his body and then all went dark.

"Commander Shults, form a defensive perimeter around the Moscow until all personnel are off the installation," Lord Hood said as he stared at the screen in front of him. Hundreds of red cruisers blotted the majority of the screen, the few blue ships and platforms that remained were overwhelmed and all hope for the MAC guns failed as the last of the platforms were being evacuated.  
"Sir, the unidentified ship has been destroyed," an ensign said turning from his console.  
"What about the Chief? Are you picking up any transponders?" Hood said turning and looking at the ensign in shock, a hint of worry in his voice.  
"No sir. No transponder signals, but there was a ship that escaped before the explosion," the ensign replied turning back to his console as a light began to flash.  
"Sir, 36 Capital class ships have just entered normal space within 200kilometers of the platform," the ensign said shocked with what he was looking at, "Incoming transmission sir, coming from the lead cruiser identifying itself as Sheltering Innocence"  
"Patch it in ensign," Lord Hood replied wondering what the hell was going on.


	6. Ch5: A Common Foe

5.   
Phantom strike force/150kilometers from High Charity/ First Age of Reformation

The Arbiter stared at his elites where they stood, waiting for the briefing, as the phantom raced towards High Charity. The battle ready elites growing anxious for the awaiting mission.  
"We are all here," one of the elites said breaking the silence.  
"Yes," the Arbiter said turning to the Elite, "As you already know we are returning to High Charity," He said as a hologram of the holy city appeared from a handheld computer, "We shall enter here," he added, pointing to a large gash in the side of the city, where a stray plasma torpedo had struck during the battle with the brutes, "The other teams shall enter here and here. Scans have shown life signs close to each of the three insertion points." he said as four blue areas appeared in the map, "We are to make contact with this group here, and then escort them back to the insertion points. All teams will them remain on standby and make a simultaneous assault to rescue those in the middle the city," he said as he pointed to the stray blue area in the middle of the hologram "We are also charged with erasing everything from the main memory core, leaving this infestation without any information of our home worlds."  
"What of these humans?" another Elite spat turning to Keyes, Johnson, and Adams, hate burning in his eyes.  
"These humans have volunteered to rescue our brothers. You will show them the same honor and respect you show me," the Arbiter said as he walked towards the arrogant Elite.  
"Don't worry split chin, I'll watch your back," Johnson said staring down the Elite as it murmured something in its native tongue.  
"We are coming upon High Charity," the pilot shouted back from the cockpit, "We will be inside the city in two minutes."  
"Elites be ready for battle," the Arbiter said turning from the strike team and opening a weapon case that sat against the wall. He pulled out an energy sword and carbine, loaded the carbine and then attached the sword to his belt.  
"They still don't like us, do they?" Keyes said standing next to him and grabbing a carbine from the cargo module.  
"It is hard for those of honor to embrace their enemy," the Arbiter said as he turned away from her and walked into the cockpit.  
Keyes watched him until he disappeared into the cockpit, not able to shake the feeling of being insulted once again. The other elites, their gold and red armors reflecting the lighting inside the phantom, formed a line in front of the modules on the opposite side of the ship, not wanting to use the same weapons the unclean humans had touched.  
"Don't worry about them, mam," Adams said grabbing a carbine, "If they were half as intelligent as they seemed, they wouldn't have waited this long to rebel. Not to mention use some weapons other than this plasma crap," he added loading the carbine.  
"Shut your mouth kid. We're gonna need all the help we can get for Earth," Johnson said pulling weapons from the case and tossing them to the floor, not being able to find the weapon he was looking for. He pulled out a strange weapon, large, purple like all the others, a small tank near the barrel filled with a blue liquid, and a huge tank, filled with a bright red liquid, as the butt of the weapon.  
"What the hell is this?" he said setting the weapon to the ready. He pointed up away from everyone and pulled the trigger. The two tanks lowered a tiny bit and a blue flame spewed forth in a stream. Johnson let go of the trigger, the roof of the phantom glowing red hot.  
"Me like a lot," he said looking down at the weapon. Keyes looked up from Johnson's new friend and saw the group of Elites staring at them.  
"Looks like you pissed them off, sarge," Adams said staring worried at the Elites as they continued to stare at them.  
"Forget about it," Johnson replied not paying any attention to the Elites, "They'll survive," he added.  
The phantom came up to the scarred hull of High Charity, blackened spots from stray plasma shots dotted the hull. One huge gash in the hull stood out. It's seemed that during the battle between the Elites and Brutes a stray plasma torpedo left its mark in the side of the holy city. A mark large enough for a Covenant cruiser could easily fit through. The hull cooled awkwardly, leaving a twisted edge to the hull. The phantom flew through the scar, power still trying to flow through the wires that were melted away. It came to a stop over a catwalk that over looked the entire city. The Arbiter went through the transporter beam first. He landed on the catwalk without a sound. There was a stink in the air of decaying corpses but nothing anywhere close. The rest of the team came down without making a sound, all of them checking for enemies as they touched the ground. Johnson, Adams, and Keyes came down last there steel toed boots breaking the silence that hung around them. The Elites looked back at them, loathing their new company. The Arbiter made some hand and signal and the Elites moved as a group for a door to their right. The unpowered door refused to open when they got close. One Elite moved forward and attached a small power supply to the door. The door brimmed with life and opened revealing an infestation larger than they've ever seen before. The once vibrant hall was now a living organism, a large pulsing entity that grew from the walls and ceiling but left the path clear besides the modules, portable energy shields, and blood stains on the floor. The team entered the hall, carefully watching for a Flood form of any kind.   
"We are getting close," an Elite from another team said over a com channel, his voice crackling with static.  
The Arbiter stopped in the middle of a four way intersection when a large booming voice was heard coming from the hall to his right.  
"Silence fills the empty grave, now that I have come, but my mind is not at rest for questions linger on. I will ask and you will answer," the voice boomed with a hint of familiarity in it.  
"Ok, shoot," came an all too familiar voice.  
"Cortana?" Keyes asked herself walking to her right puzzled as to why she was here without the Master Chief.  
Keyes continued to walk towards the door despite the tentacles that held it somewhat open. She peered through the cracks in the door and saw a huge mouth talking to Cortana who stood on a pedestal in the middle of the room. Cortana seemed to feel the Elites presence making a side glance out of the corner of her eye seeing Keyes' face through the broken door. Gravemind noticed the simple eye movement and followed it to the door seeing the human being pulled away. A loud piercing shriek echoed down the empty halls, as answering shrieks echoed back.  
The Arbiter turned and watched as the pulsing form of hallway shrunk back to the ceiling revealing hundreds of infection forms hidden behind.   
"Enemy sighted," the unknown Elite shouted through the com.  
"Engaging enemy," Wasampalee called through his com channel.  
As if out of nowhere hundreds of Flood forms seemed to appear and attack all the teams simultaneously. Johnson smiled as his weapon incinerated the Flood forms that swarmed around his team, the blue flames lighting up the room.  
"Nice to see you again, mam," Cortana said as she appeared on a pedestal to Keyes' right.  
"Likewise. Spare the explanation just find us a way out of here," Amanda said opening fire on the little monsters as they crawled towards the team.  
"Right this way, mam," Cortana said appearing on another pedestal near a door that brimmed with life and opened. Keyes ran for the door and was quickly followed by Johnson, Adams and the rest of the team. One elite fell and was swarmed by a torrent of infection forms as the door closed and then died. The team was alone in another dark hallway that seemed untouched by the flood, the sounds of the Flood forms scraping at the door behind them. Another door opened at the far end of the hall and the team ran for it, moving as fast as their feet would allow them. Cortana appeared beside the team on a pedestal on the opposite side of the door, which closed and then died as the team made their way through it.  
"There are several phantoms docked in the lower hangar bays. I'm detecting no Flood within their vicinity," Cortana said as she opened another door down the hall.  
the Arbiter stopped and turned on the AI as it stood watching the team.  
"We are not leaving without the rest of my warriors," the Arbiter said as the rest of the team continued on.  
"Don't worry, I have my subroutines moving all other life forms on this station as we speak," she said as she disappeared and then reappeared down the hall.  
The team finally came to a stop at a huge door after running down a giant stair. Cortana appeared, once again, next to the door which for once did not open or show any signs of having power.  
"What's the matter Cortana?" Keyes asked weaving her way through the Elites that stood crowded around the door.  
"I don't know," she replied, "No power seems to be able to reach this area, which is really odd."  
"Where are the other teams," the Arbiter asked looking down at the holographic image projected from the pedestal.  
"They are just on the other side of this courtyard," she said, seeming like she was in the middle of ten things all at one time.  
"We do not have time for this," one of the elites said pushing Keyes onto the floor and then pounding on the door. There was a sudden popping sound accompanied with the stench of burning flesh, as the paneling of the roof exploded in towards the floor. Hundreds of infection forms flooded out from the new hole in the roof. The team quickly opened fire, killing of a majority of the forms before they met the ground. The forms just seemed to keep coming and coming, where one died two more took its place, each as desperate to reach their prey as the next.  
"Cortana get that door open!" Keyes shouted her attention still on the Flood.

"Already on it," Cortana replied frustrated that the Flood had outwitted her.  
"Well make it snappy," Johnson replied as the forms melted away under his weapons flames. As if someone turned of a faucet, the infection forms stopped pouring in and the leftovers retreated back into the giant hole in the ceiling.  
"What the hell?" Johnson said trying to get a better view into the hole.  
"Got it," Cortana said as the door finally opened revealing a dark courtyard that seemed empty. The team rushed through, trying to get away from the Flood as soon as possible. The door shut behind them and the power was cut from it. Cortana appeared once again.  
"Your friends should here any second," she said as two doors opened form both sides, Wasampalee and his team coming from their left side and the other team appearing from the other, along with a ragged, battle worn group of elites, grunts, and a few hunters among them. The door shut behind them all and then died as they did before.  
"Arbiter," Wasampalee said as he walked towards him, a sullen look on his scarred face, "We have lost many when we were ambushed," he added, "The rescued ones among them," he added.  
"They have died with honor," Arbiter said trying to improve the moral of the teams, "Let us hope it was not in vain."  
"I suggest we get going," Cortana said crossing her arms and tilting her head like she did when she expected something to happen.  
"We shall rest here," the Arbiter said turning to her, "My warriors have earned it."  
"The Flood don't just retreat," she said getting flustered, "Something isn't right. Scanning shows no signs of the Flood anywhere on this ship," she added, trying to prove her point.  
"We have scared the cowardly Flood from the Holy City," an Elite mocked as he tossed his weapon to the ground and then sat on a rock next to him.  
"As I said before," Cortana said obviously becoming angry, "The Flood don't retreat, they overrun and devour. Right now they can be anywhere and none of us would have any idea where they pop up from next. We _need_ to go. NOW!" she yelled losing her temper for the first time ever.  
"Cortana, what's the matter?" Keyes said realizing something wasn't right about the AI. They are programmed with emotions but they never get out of hand like this.  
"Nothing, nothing, I'm sorry," she replied looking ashamed of herself.  
The Elites laughed at the construct as stood upon the pedestal, her head bowed in shame.  
"The computer is scared," an elite mocked.  
"Such primitive equipment," another laughed.  
"What shall be done for the incompe..." another Elite tried to say before a shot rang out and his head exploded as a bullet passed through his shields and then into the floor. The team quickly found cover where ever it could be found.  
"What the hell was that?" Adams yelled from the rock he was behind.  
"Obviously the Flood learned to snipe moron," Johnson yelled out from the outcropping he was hiding underneath with Keyes.  
"Hey, squid face, let me see that weapon," he yelled to an elite holding a particle beam. The elite tossed the rifle over his rock towards Johnson. Johnson picked it up and peered over the outcropping, his experienced eye watching for any movement.  
"I've opened the door on the far side of the courtyard," Cortana said still standing on her pedestal.  
"You hear that Adams, make a run for it," Johnson yelled, his eye not leaving the scope.  
"Ha ha, sarge," he replied mockingly.  
"I'm serious," Johnson yelled back, smiling at the thought of Adams running in circles. 'Lucky Flood bastard,' he thought to himself.  
"That's suicide," Adams yelled back insulted and shocked at the same time.  
"Just make a run for the door, nothing bad will happen," Johnson shouted getting frustrated.  
Adams looked at the door that sat in front of him, seeming like it was miles away rather than the few yards it actually was. He took a deep breath, hoping that it wouldn't be his last.  
"If this doesn't work, I'm coming back to haunt you sarge," he said getting on a knee and preparing to run.  
He took a last deep breath and started to sprint for the door. That's when Johnson saw it. The combat form ran over the top of the corridors awkwardly holding a sniper rifle in its hands. Johnson saw his chance as the form stopped and aimed the rifle down to Adams as he continued to run, full sprint to the door that was now only a couple of yards in front of him. Johnson pulled the trigger; the slim beam of energy pouring out of barrel of the weapon flew through the sky and melted the barrel of the sniper rifle, completely separating the barrel from the rest of the weapon. The combat form dropped the huge weapon and dropped down from his perch running straight for Johnson, arms flailing. The Arbiter jumped from his hiding place, pulled out the energy sword attached to his belt and cut the form in half, the rotting flesh quickly melting away from the plasma blade.  
"See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Johnson said turning to Adams as he sat at the door trying to catch his breath.  
"Next time it's your turn, sarge," Adams said looking over at the rest of the team as they emerged from their hiding places.  
"This way please," Cortana said looking out from her pedestal, "We should really get going," she added, a hint of worry clinging to her voice.  
"Which way Cortana," Keyes said brushing the dirt off her uniform.  
"The phantoms are this way," Cortana replied turning towards the open door that Adams sat in, "Scans show no Flood presence between here and the hangar bay."  
"We must finish the mission first," the Arbiter said turning towards the AI, "We must not allow the Flood to learn of our home worlds," he added clenching his fist.  
Cortana closed her eyes for a second, "Done," she said opening them again, "Now let's get going."  
The teams filed through the open door and continued down through the rest of the ship without any resistance. They reached hangar bay and everything was quiet. The phantoms sat in the middle of the cluttered bay, completely submerged in the dark. The teams reached the phantoms themselves and opened the docking ramps; the pilots entered the ships cautiously and began to warm up the engines. The phantoms roared to life and exited High Charity, quickly making it back to Sheltering Innocence and the remainder of the Elite fleet. Cortana appeared on a pedestal in the back of the phantom.  
"We need to get back to Earth," she said looking down at Johnson, Adams, and Keyes, "Truth is going to remote activate Halo from the Ark," she said crossing her arms as she always does.  
"As soon as we get back to the ship, the fleet will depart for Earth," the Arbiter said walking from the cockpit and then giving his hand out, "You have proven yourself many times and we share a common foe. You have earned the honor of my brethren."  
Keyes looked at him flabbergasted. After all the cold shoulders, all the neglect of peace, and the comments of the other Elites, it made her wonder were this sudden spur of friendship came from. She shook his hand glad now that some of their enemies were no longer on the wrong side of the barrel. The elite and human stood staring at each other, still shaking hands when the pilot could be heard speaking to the hangar bay control, asking permission to dock.

"All hands prepare for slip space departure," the Arbiter said over the intercom, his booming throughout the ship.

"We'll probably be fired upon as soon as we enter normal space," Cortana said looking up from her pedestal to the Arbiter, "Hood is probably hard pressed with the rest of the Covenant fleet, he won't hesitate to fire on thirty-six new ships that just randomly appear out of slip space."

"Let me talk to him," Keyes said walking up the platform, surrounded by floating pedestals and control panels, "I'm sure he wouldn't fire on us if he knew I was there," she added looking up to the Arbiter.

"Very well," he replied as the pilots counted down the time left before the engines roared to life.


End file.
